


Break in the Park

by Hamyheikki



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Comfort, Friendship, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 09:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18736303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamyheikki/pseuds/Hamyheikki
Summary: Just about to head out from the stuffy studio for a little break, Henry notices their accountant looking more stressed than ever.The man needs to take a minute off, and Henry is determined to make it happen.





	Break in the Park

Three o’clock in the afternoon, Friday. A fine time to take a breather from the week’s work, wander outside the dark halls of the Joey Drew Studios and go for a comforting walk in a nearby park. That was Henry’s usual plan. Sometimes he did so alone, sometimes one of his co-workers tagged along. He didn’t mind the company, especially if it was one of the more calm fellow’s from the studio. Wally, Shawn and Joey were all swell guys in their own ways, but given the choice, Henry would much rather have their interactions limited to their working hours. Every one of them could be a handful, even when you were alone with them. Wally especially was a blazing ball of energy, unable and more often than not unwilling to settle down for a longer periods of time. And no matter how much Henry wished  he could, he just wasn’t capable of enduring such a blast of intensity every day.

And so he was extremely relieved when he saw the janitor stroll outside from the main hall beside Shawn, both young men chatting good-naturally among themselves as they went. Joey, luckily, was out of town for the week, and it began to look like he might have a whole quiet afternoon completely for himself. A small smile danced on his lips and his steps grew lighter when he made his way past the corridors and offices. The double doors leading out into the open air were propped open, and the slight breeze felt incredible against his skin. A spring wind, fresh and full of warm. Inviting as ever.

“Mr. Stein. A moment of your time, if you would?”

A sudden voice speaking up from behind his back startled Henry from his pace. He turned around halfway, raising a questioning eyebrow when he saw who had called out for him.

Grant was standing in one of the doorways, leaning partly against the door frame as he peeked into the corridor. In his hands was several pages of paper, and from where he had stopped, Henry could see there were more laying on the surface of the man’s desk.

“I wouldn’t bother you otherwise, but since Mr. Drew is not here at the moment - “

There was a nervous edge in the man’s tone, seemingly for no reason. But as long as Henry had known the accountant, he had gotten the impression that the man was just jumpy in nature. At least outside his office as he was now, fidgeting with the corners of the contracts. Joey never seemed to pay much mind to the odd behavior, but for Henry, it made him feel uneasy himself. So, with a step back towards the open office, he put up his gentlest smile, letting his posture slump slightly.

“Sure thing! Is this something urgent? It can’t wait until he gets back?”

The spectacled man shook his head, glancing down at the papers. “Not really, Mr. Stein. I need to get these forward before the day is done, and Mr. Drew is due back sometime during next Tuesday if I remember correctly.” He most likely did. There were few souls in the studio who had more adapt brain for numbers and memory. “It’s just some basic ordering forms. Usually we handle them around the end of the week, but I got a bit side-tracked...”

A pale hand pressed against the man's temple, knuckles turning white when the pressure grew. If you looked closely enough, you could actually see the dark shadows under the pinched eyes, a telltale sign of sleepless nights. Henry was all too familiar with the feeling, having stayed up numerous times when work wouldn’t allow him to fall asleep. It was a vicious cycle, one that required a lot to step out of.

In front of him, Grant was growing restless. His eyes darted towards his paper pile, then back up with a jerk. “If this... If you are too busy at the moment, there is no need to -”

“No, don’t worry,” Henry hurried to reassure, offering a calming smile. Before Grant could work himself up any further, Henry reached out and took the papers from his hand. “I have time, we can see these over now.”

Still, the accountant seemed troubled. “But, if you had some other matters to attend to -”

He did. He had a park filled with fresh air and singing birds waiting for him outside. But one look at Grant’s anxious face told him that it would have to wait. Unless...

“Grant!” he called and managed to stop him just before the man slipped back into his unlit office. “I _was_ about to head out for a little while. Care to join me?”

It was almost comical how wide Grant’s eyes were when he stared back at him.

“I... what?”

“There is a little park just outside the studio. I asked if you’d like to come with me?” He placed the papers inside the small briefcase he’d taken along for his belongings (his wallet had a habit of pulling his trousers down if he used pockets), and waved his hand in the direction of the front door. “It’s a sunny day, and I certainly could use a walk.”

He saw the way Grant tensed, the hunched shoulders drawing up. “That is, uhh... A rather generous offer, Mr. Stein, but as I said, my workload is just so heavy at the moment...” An unfocused gaze dropped and, to Henry’s surprise, a laughter, an alarmingly manic one, crept its way out of Grant’s throat. “When was the last time I was outside, again?”

Worried, to say the least, Henry leaned in to take a closer look.

The dark shadows around Grant’s eyes he had noticed before, but standing in the better lighting of the corridor, he could see how pale and borderline sickly the man seemed. Long fingers, still clutching a pen, were thin, far too thin for any healthy person. When Henry’s gaze rose higher, he spotted several tufts of loose hair sticking up in Grant’s graying head.

 _When_ **_has_ ** _he been out of the studio?_

It was clear as day that whatever had been going on recently was affecting the accountant more than other workers. Instantly Henry’s mind fell on Joey, his latest trips all over the state, and how often he’d barricade himself into Grant’s office, both men going unseen for hours before Joey would stroll out, leaving an exhausted looking Grant in his wake. He had noticed it, but hadn’t intervened. Every one of them grew tired now and then and working with a man like Joey certainly didn’t help the atmosphere. But there was a limit, and Grant had tumbled over it.

Keeping his tone light and teasing, he reached a hand out and tugged the door leading into the office shut. “All the more reason for you to drop these things for a moment and take a quick stroll. It won’t be more than fifteen minutes.”

Seeing how Grant’s head lifted a bit in interest, he delivered the final blow.

“There is a coffee cart right inside the park. A cup for each of us before we dive back to work, what’d you say?”

That did the trick. Giving one last glance at his office, Grant shook his head and let out a sigh. “I suppose one little break won’t make such a difference...”

“Trust me, it won’t,” Henry said, his smile growing now that he had managed to lure the other man to live a little. “And it’s my treat today. I know the guy who sells the drinks, a nice fellow from my old neighborhood. Gives me an acquaintance discount.”

“Is that so?” As they began to walk out in shared pace, Henry felt relieved when his companion’s voice started to carry a merrier undertone. “Maybe I should ask you to introduce us. Heaven knows one could use a cheaper source of coffee these days.”

Henry laughed at that, his voice mockingly scandalized. “Are you implying Joey shouldn’t charge us of the coffee in the studio?”

“Do not tell him I said this, but that man has no idea how to handle a business filled with fiddle people such as ours. And this is coming from someone who would actually _prefer_ if we could cut expenses here and there.”

People on the street didn’t pay them much of a mind as they passed, and apart from a few polite run-ins, they made it to the park without too much trouble. They walked through the gates and into the shadows of the trees, a refreshing wind blowing over them as they went.

“Joey sure knows what he wants and when he wants it,” Henry said while he directed their path towards a little pond in the center of the park. “I’m impressed you’ve managed on keeping him in check for this long.”

He saw the odd look flashing on Gran’t face, and hastily added, “Not that I think you’re not capable of doing your job! It’s just that Joey has a ... tendency to push even the most hard-headed people into submission if given enough time.”

The peculiar expression, gone so quickly it left Henry wondering if he had seen anything at all, was overtaken by an amused smirk, and a pair of eyes finally beginning to regain some life. “He is a handful, certainly. And we have our differences.” A new flicker of something dark, blink and you’ll miss it, passed over Grant’s face before the smirk was back. “But you do incredible work at soothing him down, so to speak. I hate to admit it, but if it weren’t for you, I do not believe any of us could keep on working for him much longer than a month.”

A sudden high praise being thrown in his way made Henry’s mind halt and his cheeks grow warmer. “Given that a lot of thought, have you?”

Next to him, Grant shrugged. “I think everyone in the studio has toyed with the idea.”

Henry didn’t have an answer to that.

Their talk had lead them all the way to the brink of the pond. As usual there were ducks and other smaller birds hopping around the grass, beaks searching for any crumbs of food dropped by the passer-byes. A bench, set right in front of the water, was currently empty and to Henry’s delight, no other seemed particularly interested in it. The coffee seller was there as well, his cart parked near the pond in hopes of attracting more customers that way, and Henry approved immensely.

He dig out his wallet before turning to Grant who was eyeing the scenery with a critical gaze.

“You go and snatch that bench for us, won’t you? I’m just gonna go and grab us cups and be right back.” He waved few bills in his hand and walked off, leaving the other man standing on the track, watching owlishly as the distance between them grew by the minute. Eventually he _did_ go and sit down on the bench, dusting off a few patches of dirt before lowering himself to sit properly. From where he stood in line to the cart, Henry could see the tension in his shoulders easing up once he was seated. Not gone completely, but a fine start.

The salesman didn’t bother with a small talk today, apparently seeing how Henry kept on glancing back towards the bench, and instead merely filled his order of two black coffees and accepted the money with a quick thanks. Henry flashed him a grateful smile, then hurried over to Grant, to steaming cups of caffeine in hand. As Grant had done just a moment earlier, he too brushed off some errand dust and then sat down, offering one of the cups to the man beside him.

“I should warn beforehand; it’s nothing too special, but does beat the stuff Joey tried to pass as coffee,” he joked and took a sip of his own drink. “The bitterness is much more on point here.”

Grant gave him a skeptical look, lifting the cup up to his lips. “Are you trying to wash your hands now, in case I end up hating it?” He sipped a small mouthful, humming thoughtfully. “It does have a finer taste, for sure. Made of actual coffee beans, how very queer.”

Henry laughed, his head tossed back and a warm feeling settling into his chest. “The little joys in life.”

“Indeed.”

They sat in a silence for a long while, eyes aimed at the pond and the surface of the water. The wind was starting to die down now. There was still warmness to be had from the fading light of the sun, even if it had already passed the highest point of its route for the day. In the peaceful scene, Henry couldn’t help but have his eyelids began to droop, a nod of his head becoming heavier the longer he stared off into the swirling waves.

“Thank you, Henry.”

Hearing his name said so close to his side, Henry snapped back to consciousness, shaking his head slightly. “Huh?” He turned over to Grant who had already pushed his cup away and was now looking back at him with an eager gaze.

“I said ‘thank you’, but it seems my words were poorly timed. It wasn’t my intent to disrupt your daydream.” Even if there was a hint of a genuine apology in the sentence, there was a good-humored air around them both. “It’s just... I rarely get the chance to do such things as this. And it feels pointless to go for all the trouble if it’s just for me alone.”

Henry’s ears picked up the hint of melancholy. In the mixture of contentment and pleasantness, a slice of anguish was added when he truly internalize the meaning behind it.

He would ask the man out more often from now on.

“No need to thank me, Grant. Was happy to offer, a bit of company outside work does good for me too.”

The sight of a blush appearing on Grant’s cheeks made his stomach flip.

“Well, it is nice to be here.”

As if by unspoken suggestion, their eyes drifted to the pond once again.

Henry took one more sip from his cup.

“Glad to have you.”

It took them another fifteen minutes to return to the studio.


End file.
